1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a mount for a shock absorber, the mount having a twisting surface which engages an opposing surface on a vehicle at least during installation in a mounting hole of the vehicle, the twisting surface and the opposing surface ensuring the rotational alignment of the connecting means on the mount and the connecting means on the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
IQ The increasing use of automation in vehicle assembly means that the individual parts of the vehicle must be designed in such a way that they can be assembled as easily as possible by machine. In regard to the installation of a shock absorber, for example, there is the problem that at least one connecting means on the shock absorber must be engaged with another connecting means on the body of the vehicle. When an assembly device introduces the shock absorber into the body, it can be assumed that the various connecting means in question will almost certainly not be properly aligned with each other. One way of solving this problem would be to make sure that the connecting means on the shock absorber is already in its defined installation position during the assembly process itself.
A mounting base is known from DE 35 32 681, which has a specially de- signed rubber-metal mount with twisting surfaces. The twisting surfaces in conjunction with corresponding opposing surfaces on the vehicle ensure that the connecting means are automatically aligned with each other during the assembly motions. A significant disadvantage of this rubber-metal mount is that, although the shape of the rubber-metal mount may well be suitable for automated assembly, it suffers otherwise from functional disadvantages in certain situations.
DE 36 20 774 describes a mount for a shock absorber located on the body of the vehicle, where a cap on the mount is connected to the shock absorber. During assembly, the cap is introduced into an opening in the body and latches itself, in the axial direction only, with the specially designed edge area of the opening. Additional screws are used to secure it permanently in place. To release the latching connection, the cap can be twisted in the circumferential direction independently of the part of the mount which is screwed to the body.
The object of the present invention is to realize a mount for a shock absorber which guarantees that the connecting means used to connect the shock absorber to the vehicle are automatically aligned.
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing the mount with a cap having at least one twisting surface, the cap being in working, torque-transmitting connection with the entire mount.
An essential advantage of the invention is that only the cap needs to be designed to meet the requirements of the automated installation of the shock absorber. Any spring elements or other components of the mount can be designed specifically to fulfill their intended function.
It is also provided that the working, torque-transmitting connection is formed by at least one extension on the cap, which engages with the mount. This working, positive-locking connection ensures that the various connecting means are positioned with a high degree of positional accuracy with respect to each other. In addition, higher torques can be transmitted.
According to an advantageous embodiment, the extension has latching means, which form a latching connection with the mount. As a result, the cap can be disconnected from the mount very quickly.
The cap consists preferably of plastic and does not need to absorb any axial bearing forces. To minimize the amount of space required for the latching connection, the extension has an area of reduced cross-section, which allows the latching means to move elastically during the assembly process.
The cap has at least one stiffening rib to provide the greatest possible strength at the lowest possible weight.
To arrive at a simple overall shape and especially to arrive at a shape which allows the cap to be injection-molded in the most efficient manner possible, the extension represents a continuation of the stiffening rib.
So that the assembly motion can compensate for the largest possible angle of twist error, the cap has an elliptical base surface. The ends of the major and minor axes of the base surface are terminated by radii, and transition radii which curve radially inward extend between the terminal radii.
So that the cap can transmit torque from the twisting surface to the mount during the assembly motion over the shortest possible path of force transmission, the stiffening ribs are located near the terminal radii of the cap.
It may happen that the shock absorber connected to the mount reaches its wear limit and must be replaced. So that the mount does not have to be discarded also, the cap has a disconnect opening to allow the insertion of a tool, which can be used to disconnect the minimum of one extension from the mount. After the cap has been removed, the mount can be disconnected from the shock absorber.
So that the connecting means can be positioned as precisely as possible, the cross-sectional surface of the cap is longer in one direction with respect to the intended final assembly position than the mounting hole. The cap fits into the mounting hole with at least a transition fit, if not a press fit.
At least a small amount of deformation of the cap is associated with a press fit between the cap and the mounting hole. To avoid stress peaks within the cap and to allow the desired deformation, the walls of the cap have slots, which form the boundaries of wall parts with radial elasticity, which are in working connection with the mounting opening.
In another advantageous embodiment, the elastic wall parts represent the twisting surfaces of the cap.
The increased load on the cap in the area of the elastic wall parts is taken into account by making the elastic wall parts thicker, at least over part of their area, than the adjacent wall areas.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should be further understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale and that, unless otherwise indicated, they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein.